


mirage

by kie



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, One-Sided Relationship, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:15:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26004016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kie/pseuds/kie
Summary: (n.) something illusory and unattainable
Relationships: Catra/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15
Collections: Femslash After Dark 2020





	mirage

**Author's Note:**

  * For [planetundersiege](https://archiveofourown.org/users/planetundersiege/gifts).



“Hey, uh, are you sure we took the right turn back there?” 

Scorpia’s feet clunked against the floor in a steady beat, following behind Catra’s silent lead. The hallways of Crypto Castle were bizarre and winding. And dark, to make matters worse. Catra padded along on her bare feet, certain of her path despite the literal maze they were in, only once checking the map on the pad strapped to her hip. 

“Pretty sure,” Catra answered, her voice flat.

“Okay, it’s just, you know, I thought it was a left,” Scorpia said. She scratched at the back of her neck with the edge of one pincer, staring at Catra’s swaying shoulders when the other woman didn’t pause. “Or not, I mean, of course you know where you’re going! Ha ha, sorry.”

The pair had moved away from the castle’s entry halls, where Horde soldiers proceeded in the dull and steady work of loading new materials claimed from the kingdom of Dryl. The dozens of rooms in the castle seemed to all contain tech that Princess Entrapta had amassed during her lifetime in residence, and the Horde was eager to shift the resources to the Fright Zone. 

Scorpia had been prepared for a day of heavy lifting as part of that effort. It wasn’t the worst way to spend a shift—and anyway, she’d hoped that busy work might help keep her mind occupied.

Lately, it’d been difficult to focus on her everyday tasks with Catra around. Scorpia had found herself on the receiving end of a growing number of glances, side-eyes, and considerate gazes from Catra over the past weeks. Scorpia found herself giddy with the small bits of attention.

And now, Scorpia was faced with those emotions alone with their instigator. Shortly after they had arrived, Catra had asked her to accompany her alone, and then had whisked her away down a side door. So, instead of helping the other soldiers with the move, Scorpia was observing as Catra peered into a storage room. 

It was full of large crates. Maybe some sort of special cargo they were tasked with, as higher-ranking soldiers? She felt a trickle of pride, thinking Catra had deemed her the best person to help. Knowing Entrapta’s usual creations, whatever Catra sought was dangerous, so Scorpia figured she’d better be on her guard. 

“You haven’t changed your mind, have you?” Catra said, hesitating at the threshold.

“Course not! I’m not scared.” 

Catra furrowed her eyebrows, but smirked. She grasped one of Scorpia’s claws and pulled her inside the room. Scorpia immediately scanned the room, peering into corners and ready to strike out with her tail at the slightest noise or movement. 

Luckily, she had the presence of mind not to stab at Catra when the other woman closed the heavy door with a loud thud. 

“We shouldn’t be disturbed here,” Catra said, running her hand through her own hair. She seemed unperturbed, so Scorpia also relaxed, after another scan of the room. No immediate threats, after all. 

“So, what are we gonna be doing?” Scorpia said, eager to catch up on Catra’s plan. “And what’s in all these crates?” 

Catra stepped closer to Scorpia. “Well, I didn’t really have anything _specific_ in mind,” she said, her voice low and slightly husky. “And I don’t care, obviously.” 

Scorpia started to frown at that, and was about to come clean about her confusion, but then Catra ran her fingers up the soft skin of Scorpia’s arm. 

“O-Oh _._ ” Scorpia froze. 

No way. Sure, it’d been on her mind, a tiny figment of hope when Catra had asked to see her alone. 

“Wait, really?” Scorpia said, swallowing hard. Her heart was racing. 

A frown appeared on Catra’s face, her eyebrows drawn together again and her eyes narrowed. “Unless… there was a misunderstanding.” Her hand paused on Scorpia’s spiky shoulder. 

“ _Nope!_ No misunderstanding!” Scorpia all but shouted. 

Catra’s smirk reappeared, and she brought her hand to the back of Scorpia’s neck to pull her down into a rough kiss. 

Scorpia responded with enthusiasm, gathering Catra’s smaller body loosely into her arms. She was certain that this was absolutely not real, but also determined to enjoy herself until she found out for sure. She hadn’t even worked up the nerve to tell Catra she _liked_ her, yet. She’d just been doing a lot of doting and hoping the message got across.

Scorpia must be better at this than she’d thought. 

When Catra began to withdraw, Scorpia moved immediately to kiss her under her jaw, delighted to find Catra’s fur was just as downy as she had imagined. If Catra wanted to move fast, so could she. 

Even if Scorpia desperately wanted to be in an actual bed with her instead. Maybe with flowers and candles involved. (Surely, she could find those somewhere in the Fright Zone. She’d be determined to do just that when they returned home.)

“How do scorpions usually do this, anyway?” Catra said as Scorpia kissed her neck. “With the pincers, and all.” 

Scorpia’s heart hammered in her chest, but she found herself less self-conscious than in previous encounters. 

“We, um.” She stammered to a stop, swallowed hard, and tried again. “We mostly use our mouths. I-if that’d be okay.” 

Catra made a _hmm_ sound that Scorpia thought sounded approving. Once more, Catra drew her fingers up Scorpia’s arms, feeling at the dense muscle under Scorpia’s uniform. Reaching Scorpia’s shoulders, she drew inwards, tracing her collarbone and arriving at the base of her neck, before sliding her hands down to grasp at Scorpia’s breasts. 

Scorpia closed her eyes, overwhelmed with sensation already. Catra continued moving her hands over Scorpia’s chest, and leaned forward to kiss lightly at her neck as well. Catra left her forehead resting against Scorpia’s collar, and Scorpia could hear her heavy breaths. 

Scorpia had been cognizant of her increasing arousal since the first moment Catra had touched her, but now she was certain it was somehow noticeable to Catra, the aching heat between her legs. It crossed Scorpia’s mind that she could probably come from Catra’s attention to her breasts alone. 

Meanwhile, all she could do was hold Catra’s waist tighter with the blunt parts of her pincer claws. Catra soon tugged at the seams of Scorpia’s uniform, briefly dipping her hands underneath to feel at Scorpia’s bare skin. Scorpia gasped, and Catra’s devilish smirk reappeared.

Catra briefly felt at Scorpia’s back, running light touches over the firm muscle, before pulling her forward towards the nearest stack of crates. There was one about hip-height to Scorpia, and Catra hopped onto its surface, sitting facing Scorpia. Catra tugged her forward, again grasping the seams of her uniform, and kissed her on the mouth, more roughly than before. She wrapped her legs around Scorpia, pulling her even closer. 

They kissed a moment longer, Catra running her hands up and down Scorpia’s back, before Catra pushed her lightly downwards. Catra freed one hand, resting the other on Scorpia’s shoulder, and began to undo her own belt and trousers. 

“Um, I can do that.” Scorpia lifted her pincers slightly. “If you’ll let me.” 

Catra eyed her for a moment, then laid back. She allowed Scorpia to gingerly slide the tips of her claws under the edge of Catra’s clothing. Scorpia moved carefully to avoid scratching either Catra or her garments, all while her claws shook slightly with nerves. Slowly, she eased Catra’s trousers and underwear down her legs. Catra then kicked them off casually, and positioned herself at the edge of the crate. 

Catra’s long legs rested on either side of Scorpia’s face. Closing her eyes, Scorpia kissed the soft inside of one of Catra’s knees, dragging her lips upwards and lingering a moment at her mid-thigh. Scorpia withdrew long enough for a deep breath in, catching the heady scent of Catra’s arousal.

She resumed her kisses, working her way further up Catra’s leg. She paused at the divot at the top of Catra’s thigh, sucking gently on the sensitive skin there and then running her tongue over the same area. 

She wanted to draw it out longer, but Catra let loose an impatient, whining groan. Scorpia glanced up at her face, and saw Catra grasping at the edge of the crate with one hand. The other covered part of her face, but Scorpia still saw Catra’s eyes on her. Catra’s tail flicked against the bottom of Scorpia’s chin. 

Maybe Catra was just as desperate as she was. 

Scorpia relented and pressed her lips to the fine, longer hair between Catra’s legs. She felt Catra’s legs tense, and then dipped her face lower, finally pressing her tongue to Catra’s pussy. Scorpia drew her tongue upwards, through Catra’s folds and pausing when she felt her clitoris. Catra moved under her, pressing herself against Scorpia’s mouth and moaning softly. 

Scorpia moved her tongue in slow circles, giving Catra her full attention despite the searing ache between her own legs. She was immersed in Catra’s taste. Even with the hard floor digging into Scorpia’s knees, she wished she could draw this out into a longer experience. 

But Catra hadn’t planned on that. Faster than Scorpia would have liked, Catra was burying her fingers in Scorpia’s hair. She was gentler than Scorpia expected, but insistent, and Scorpia increased the pressure of her tongue against Catra, moving a little faster. 

Catra gasped as she came, and her grip in Scorpia’s hair became a little less gentle. Scorpia was undeterred, continuing to circle Catra’s clit with her tongue. Catra relaxed, eased back away from Scorpia and gently pushed her away. 

“You weren’t kidding. Y-you’re pretty good at that.” Catra sat up and pushed her hair out of her face, as she assessed Scorpia’s expression. 

Scorpia licked at her lips before grinning bashfully. Catra reached out and touched Scorpia’s face, running her fingers through Scorpia’s hair once more. 

“Can I…” Catra started, then paused to slide off the crate and onto Scorpia’s lap. She reached down, touching Scorpia’s abdomen through her top and hesitating at her belt. 

Catra slid her fingers under the edge of Scorpia’s clothing, pushing downwards to find the curls between her legs. She was seemingly careful not to scratch Scorpia with her own claws. “That okay?” Catra said. 

Scorpia closed her eyes. “Y-yeah.” 

Catra touched her with probing fingers until she found Scorpia’s firm clitoris, her fingers quickly wet. 

“Someone’s into it,” Catra said, fingers circling in a pace quicker than Scorpia had used. 

Scorpia gasped. “Mm. Catra, I’m already—“ 

She could not finish her statement, her orgasm overpowering her more quickly than she had expected. Scorpia grasped at Catra’s back as the sensation rolled over her, her face buried in Catra’s shoulder. 

Catra withdrew her fingers, and with unusual sweetness, kissed Scorpia’s cheek as the bigger woman came down from her climax. 

“That was fun, huh?” Catra said. Scorpia could only nod, still breathless, strands of her hair plastered to her forehead. 

“I like working with you,” Catra continued. She stood up, running her fingers through Scorpia’s hair once more. “Let’s do this again some time.” 

Scorpia had never wanted anything more in her life. 

***

It had been a good day. 

This morning, Scorpia had been certain things were going downhill—banishment to the Crimson Waste usually went that way. But it had turned out solidly in her favor, and she moved around the tent with a spring in her step. Scorpions and the desert got along great. 

And now, maybe, Catra would finally see how good they were together. Scorpia wished Catra was more forthright about her feelings, but she’d been going through so much, after all… Maybe this had been just what they needed. Distance from the Horde. From Catra’s past. 

Well, sort of. Catra’s past was, in unfortunate fact, currently chained up in one of the other tents in the cluster. It was the one damper on Scorpia’s otherwise-excellent mood. Adora hadn’t woken up yet, and Scorpia desperately hoped that she wouldn’t in the next couple of hours. Not before Scorpia could say what she had to say to Catra tonight.

Scorpia tried to focus on asking Catra to stay here with her, and not on the inevitability of Catra’s interrogation of the traitor. 

She took a deep breath. For now, she just needed to find another bottle of that cactus juice the locals were so fond of—it was somewhere in this supply tent, she’d been told, and she was eager to get back to the party (as they’d called it) and to Catra’s side. Before Catra’s focus turned onto the prisoner they were holding. 

Unfortunately, it was dark, and she was having a hard time with her task. Scorpia bent and rummaged through another box, pushing a dusty cloth covering out of the way as she did so and coughing lightly. 

“There you are,” Catra said from behind her. 

Scorpia jumped, and fumbled the sack of protein powder she’d been holding. A portion of it spilled onto the sand under her feet as her claw snipped one corner. 

“Whoa, jeez, you spooked me there, Catra,” Scorpia said, scrambling to try and pick up the mess. Catra crossed the short distance between them, maneuvering nimbly around the clutter on the ground.

“Just leave it,” Catra said, her voice low, tugging Scorpia by her arm to the other side of the mountain of supplies. 

“Uhh, gosh, but that’s like a week’s worth of—“ 

“Shh.” Catra covered Scorpia’s lips with one finger, before wrapping her arms around the other woman’s shoulders. Scorpia could make out a little of the cactus liquor on her breath. “It doesn’t matter.” 

Scorpia caught on, and grinned despite herself. “Oh, gotcha,” she said, dropping her own voice to a whisper and leaning down slightly in Catra’s embrace. “Should we ditch the, uh, party?”

“Nah, not yet,” Catra said. She extended closer and nipped at Scorpia’s ear with sharp teeth, running her hands over the edges of the vest Scorpia was still wearing. “Just thought we could take a little break in here.” 

The feel of Catra’s breath against her skin had Scorpia’s heart rate up already, as she loosely held Catra by the small of her back and swallowed hard. 

“What if someone catches us in here?”

“They won’t,” Catra said, still playing with Scorpia’s collar. “If we’re quick.” Her eyes darted up to meet Scorpia’s. 

And then Scorpia didn’t care. She tightened Catra against her, and pulled the smaller woman in for a kiss. Risk aside, she knew she would do anything for Catra. And if someone did stumble in, well, there was no one else she’d rather cause a scandal with. 

Catra did not waste time in opening the front of Scorpia’s uniform, placing first her hands and then her tongue on Scorpia’s breasts. She lapped at Scorpia’s skin, her tongue only a little scratchy, before sucking gently on Scorpia’s nipple. 

Scorpia groaned, as quietly as she could manage, before Catra gently pulled her down by the shoulders to a kneeling position. 

“Hold still. I want to try…. Something.” Catra grasped Scorpia’s right pincer, the slightly larger and stronger of the two. She ran her hand over the claw, feeling out the smooth top part where no thorny spikes were. 

Catra straddled Scorpia’s claw and began to rub herself against it, through her clothing. After a few repetitions, she closed her eyes, biting her own lip with sharp fangs. She held onto Scorpia’s claw with both hands as she rutted against her. “Ah. That’s nice.” 

Scorpia couldn’t help but stare, though she could barely make out Catra’s slim frame moving against her in the darkness of the tent. She wished, not for the first time, that her claws felt more sensation that just basic pressure. Wished that she could feel more fully Catra’s movement against her. 

Catra’s fingers were brushing the sharp serrations in the interior of Scorpia’s pincers. She was trusting Scorpia not to move suddenly and injure her. 

“You’re beautiful,” Scorpia said. 

Catra probably would have scoffed at her if Scorpia had said that under normal circumstances. Now, she just groaned in response, rubbing harder and faster against Scorpia’s claw. 

After Catra came, abandoning earlier attempts at being quiet, she slumped forward against Scorpia and briefly held her as she caught her breath. 

Momentarily, like an afterthought, Catra pressed her fingers into Scorpia, and brought her off quickly. Scorpia didn’t require much stimulation; the sight of Catra riding her had nearly been enough on its own. She stifled her response, only allowing a little noise to escape to let Catra know she’d come. 

Catra ran her fingers through Scorpia’s hair, more slowly and gently than she had done the last time, just barely ghosting Scorpia’s scalp with the very tips of her claws. 

They didn’t move immediately. Catra seemed inclined to linger against Scorpia’s chest, her head tucked against her shoulder. Scorpia closed her eyes and basked in the moment, still feeling Catra’s hot breath against her skin. Much later tonight, she’d find the little marks from Catra’s claws in her own chelae, and she’d take the time to meticulously buff them out until her exoskeleton was once more smooth. 

But first, she would ask Catra to stay with her. 

***

No matter how much Scorpia wished, or how hard she stared at their photograph, her family was not here to offer any advice. 

She lay on her bed, focused on the frame on her tiny shelf. It held her few belongings, safe at her side while she slept. A couple of interesting scrap crystals she’d been allowed to keep from jobs in the mines in Dryl and elsewhere. A childhood plush toy. Central among the keepsakes was the photograph of her mothers and her infant self. 

Her parents had remained loyal to the decision Scorpia’s grandfather had made in allying with the Horde. They had agreed that their daughter wouldn’t carry on the title of Princess. Maybe they faced a similar crisis to Scorpia’s current wavering devotion, when they were faced with that decision. And though she couldn’t speak to them, Scorpia knew that her life as a soldier was evidence enough of what they would say to her if she could seek their advice.

Loyal to the end. 

Scorpia tried to will the ache in her chest, the tightness in her throat, to leave her, but the quiet and familiar place was not helping at all. Her mind raced with the task Catra had placed on her shoulders. What Scorpia wouldn’t give to have Entrapta back safe, and back on their side. Their work as Force Captains had been hellish lately. Double shifts no longer even fazed Scorpia. If Entrapta were here… well, they wouldn’t be in this situation, somehow. Entrapta was so smart. She’d have a solution to everything. 

With a sigh, Scorpia turned over onto her side. It was a pointless rabbit hole to go down. Entrapta could be dead, for all she knew. Scorpia had faith in Entrapta’s resourcefulness, and held out a glimmer of hope that she’d find a way to hold on. 

Hold on until when? No one else knew Entrapta’s real location. It was up to Catra and Scorpia to rescue their friend, if she was still around to be rescued. Scorpia just needed to figure out how to make Catra see that. The thought made her guts feel twisted up in anxiety. 

Catra had accepted the tea earlier today. Wasn’t that the olive branch Scorpia had been waiting for? 

Scorpia sat up, stared off the edge of the mattress at her feet for a moment. She took a deep breath, and then resolved herself and stood up. Wasn’t Catra deserving of her loyalty, just as the Horde had deserved her family’s service?

It was a short walk to Catra’s own quarters. Scorpia wondered whether Catra would even be there. The Horde was working such a frantic pace these days that there was a decent chance she’d be elsewhere, even during standard sleeping hours. A little pang of guilt bloomed in Scorpia’s gut when she realized she was not sure whether she would prefer Catra missing. 

Outside of the door, Scorpia paused, her claw raised to knock. She tried to listen. A small rustle, maybe? Some tiny noise she couldn’t be certain was actually a person. Scorpia sighed, then took another deep breath before rapping lightly on the metal. 

“Yeah.” Catra’s voice was flat from the inside. Scorpia’s stomach did a flip-flop. 

“Hey, wildcat. It’s me.” Scorpia gulped, waiting for Catra’s response. After a moment, the door opened, and Scorpia stepped inside quickly.

Catra was seated with her back to the door, papers strewn all around her on the small bed. Her knees were gathered up to her chest and she had a file folder open in front of her. She still looked exhausted. 

“Hey there,” Scorpia said, drawing out the words a little. “Uh, just wanted to see how you were doing.” 

For a moment, Catra just stared at her, barely turning her head to look over her shoulder. Then she started sweeping the papers up roughly, clearing space for Scorpia on the bed. 

Scorpia took the hint, and sat down beside Catra. 

“Did the tea help?” Scorpia prompted. “You should really try to get a good night’s sleep.” 

Catra shifted closer to her, curling her tail around Scorpia’s back, but she didn’t look at Scorpia again. “Maybe.” 

“Can I… do anything to help?” Scorpia bit her own lip. 

Catra finally looked at her, studying her face with baggy mismatched eyes. She seemed almost hesitant as she stretched up to kiss Scorpia softly. 

Despite her doubts, Scorpia’s heart soared. She returned Catra’s kiss, automatically wrapping her arms around Catra. 

She’d been right about the tea. Catra would let her back in. 

Catra made a small nose in her throat as they kissed. Content, if not happy. She grasped at Scorpia’s hair, the sides grown out just enough for Catra’s fingers to find purchase—there’d been no time to visit the barber lately. Scorpia responded when Catra introduced her tongue into Scorpia’s mouth, her body unconcerned with her mind’s preoccupation. 

It surprised Scorpia a little when Catra pushed her down onto the mattress. Catra trailed her hands down Scorpia’s sides, then pushed the top portion of her uniform upwards, exposing Scorpia’s stomach. Catra dipped her head and kissed Scorpia there lightly, moving downwards until she reached Scorpia’s belt. 

She looked up at Scorpia. “It’s not what we usually do, but you don’t mind, right?” 

It took Scorpia just a moment to catch on, and she was frantic to answer as quickly as she could. “Y-yeah, of course not.” 

Catra unclasped Scorpia’s belt and pulled her trousers down. Scorpia felt exposed, her skin a little chilled, but Catra quickly covered Scorpia’s hips with her own hands in a languid caress. 

As many times as she had fantasized about this, Scorpia found herself detached as Catra kissed her thigh. Was this Catra’s idea of an apology? She wasn’t good at the verbal kind, after all. 

Catra moved upward, leaving Scorpia’s inner thigh tingling with the licks of Catra’s slightly rough tongue. Scorpia was distracted, but she wasn’t immune. There was a thrumming heat between her legs, and she was eager for Catra to attend to it. 

“Ahh. Catra, please,” Scorpia said, shifting impatiently under the smaller woman. 

It was as good as she had hoped. Like the first time they had done this, Scorpia came more quickly than she’d been expecting. She moaned with the first strong waves that crashed over her body, and inadvertently she squeezed Catra’s face slightly between her strong thighs. Catra did not seem to mind, still tonguing her clitoris until she fully rode out the sensation. 

When Scorpia relaxed, Catra withdrew. She settled onto her side beside Scorpia, and Scorpia quickly took to her to reciprocate. 

It wasn’t that Scorpia wasn’t enjoying this. She moved with the same enthusiasm and care for Catra she had always managed. Scorpia still nipped at Catra’s ears, very gently. She teased at Catra’s breasts with her tongue, sucking on her nipple until she moaned. She moved her mouth over Catra’s cunt with slow and attentive drags of her tongue, tasting the inside of her before circling her clit until she came. 

But throughout the night, the anxiety nested in Scorpia’s gut only became heavier. She realized that, at least for herself, this was some sort of goodbye.

Catra dozed off in Scorpia’s arms. It was almost what Scorpia had wanted for them. 

Scorpia rested her face against the top of Catra’s head, breathing in the light scent of her hair. Her eyes prickled, but she resolved not to let Catra see her upset. 

After everything, Scorpia’s heart still ached. But with Catra asleep in her grasp, she accepted what she had to do. 

And as much as it hurt, she had to do it without Catra. 

**Author's Note:**

> https://youtu.be/Gs-tkxRThkU


End file.
